Wrist article retaining device



Sept. 20, 1966 F. P. COSENTINO 3,

WRIST ARTICLE RETAINING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2, 1964 INVENTOR. FRANK P. COSENTINO ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,273,766 WRIST ARTICLE RETAINING DEVICE Frank P. Cosentino, 2106 35th St., Astoria 5, N.Y. Filed Nov. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 408,043 4 Claims. (Cl. 22428) This invention is concerned with an article retaining device; more particularly it describes an article retaining device for use about the wrist of a wearer; and especially sets forth an adjustable wrist retaining device that will releasably engage one or more objects in a predetermined position about an arm, such as flashlights, or the like.

Wristbands for many purposes are well known in the art. Such bands are for decorative use and may contain jewelry thereon. Additionally, there have been provided wristbands retaining a single flashlight so that in dark and inaccessible places illumination will be provided for hand manipulation of a screwdriver, wrench, or like objects.

Such prior art devices have well known disadvantages. Primarily, they are relatively fixed and inflexible as to use. Thus, if a flashlight is provided on a wristband for manipulating objects by hand, light may be provided in a single direction only relative to the hand, most commonly forward along the length of the hand as in the direction of a grasped screwdriver. At times, however, light may be required in many directions, about the hand of the operator. Addition-ally, the same wristband cannot be used to retain other articles, such as small screwdrivers, and the like.

Further, even in jewelry type wristbands, it may be desirable to alternate the objects located on the wristband, and to reposition the same, as desired.

It is a cardinal object of this invention, therefore, to provide a wristband with a plurality of adjustable article fasteners thereon that one or more articles may be adjustably and releasably positioned on the wristband as desired.

A further primary object hereof is the provision of a wristband to retain one or more illumination sources thereon, whereby the position of the illumination sources may be adjusted and their number may be changed.

A further purpose of the above-described invention is to provide a unit as described that may .be easily manufactured and mass-produced in an economical manner and that may be decorative.

Yet another purpose is to describe a wristband to retain articles thereon whereby the articles to be retained may be alternated merely by .adjusting or replacing the article clamps.

With these objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will appear in the following specification and recited in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout the various figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of this invention with one flashlight retainer thereon and with additional retainers shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the position of the unit on an arm of the wearer, and with a flashlight shown in phantom.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 illustrating alternate angular positions of the flashlight in phantom.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing one method of adjustably fastening an article retainer on the band.

It is to be emphasized that there is shown herein merely one preferred embodiment of the invention. Other embodiments may be incorporated within the scope hereof.

However, in the illustrated embodiment there is disclosed a wristband 10 including a semi-rigid and springlike band 11 to which there is .aflixed a somewhat flexible pair of spaced and parallel guide members 12 and 14. The guide members 12 and 14 will have undercut portions 12a and 14a thereby presenting an inverted T slot 15.

It will, of course, be realized that other well known wristband arrangements may be provided herein. For example, the wristband may be manufactured with flexible material and may fit entirely about the arm of the wearer. What is important herein and the essence of the invention is the adjustable means to :retain a plurality of article retainers 20.

Each of the article retainers 20 has a base portion 21 shaped to slidingly fit within the T slot 15 as will be seen in FIG. 4. A threaded bushing 22 is aflixed to the base portion 21 and has a threaded opening 24. Any

: number of the said article retainer 20 are provided in and about the wristband 10. The threaded opening 24 in the bushing 22 extends through the article retainer so that a threaded member 26 when threaded downward may pass entirely through the said base portion 21 to bear against the body 11 of the wristband. This serves to lock the article retainer 20 in a single position on the said wristband 10 when the threaded member 26 is entirely screwed down.

At the upper edge of the threaded member 26 is a spring clamp 28 or the like shaped to yieldingly grasp an article to be retained in position such as a flashlight 30 or the like. It is to be understood that the position of the spring clamp 28 and therefore the flashlight 30, may not only be adjusted as to circumferential position on the Wristband 10, but its angular position may be adjusted merely by altering the position at which the threaded member 26 bottoms on the band 11.

As previously mentioned, however, certain of the parts may be varied within the scope of this invention. The adjustable manner of the fastening of the article retainer 20 on the wristband 10 is the essence of this invention. The flashlights 30 may be adjusted about the wristband in any desired manner.

Further, as will be seen in phantom in FIG. 1, any number of additional clamps 28a and 2% may be added in and about the unit merely by sliding them in from one end as shown (see 28b in FIG. 1). Each additional clamp 28a and 28b may be utilized to position additional illumination sources, or for example, screwdrivers, wrenches, or the like. Various sizes of article retainers may be provided for specific purposes, if desired.

Further, the invention may be utilized to retain on a wristband 10 any number of other varied articles such as jewelry, technical instruments, and the like.

It will be seen then that there is provided herein a device to accomplish all of the objects previously set forth and others.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein or required by the prior art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article retaining device for the wrist of a wearer, including:

(a) a semi-rigid and flexible band adapted to fit about the wrist of a wearer,

(-b) and -a pair of spaced and parallel guide bars aflixed to said band, said guide bars being undercut,

(c) and a plurality of article retaining clamps adjustably positioned about said band, and fitting at least partially within said undercut portion of said guide bars and extending above,

(d) and a threaded member at least partially threaded within each of said clamps and extending therefrom to bear against said band thereby locking said clamps in posit-ion between said band and said undercut portions of said guide bars.

2. An article retaining device for the wrist of a wearer,

including:

(a) a semi-rigid and flexible band adapted to fit about the wrist of a wearer,

(b) and a pair of spaced and parallel guide bars affixed to said band, said guide bars being undencut,

(c) and a plurality of article retaining clamps adjustably positioned about said band, and fitting at least partially within said undercut portion of said guide bars and extending above,

(d) and a threaded member at least partially threaded within each of said clamps and extending therefrom to bear against said band thereby locking said clamps in position between said band and said undercut portions of said guide bars,

(e) each of said clamps having a spring-like portion to retain an article, said spring-like portion being atfixed to the side of said threaded member away from said band, whereby rotation of said spring-like member will rotate said threaded member thereby locking or releasing said clamp.

3. An article retaining device for the wrist of a wearer,

including:

(a) a semi-rigid and flexible band adapted to fit about the wrist of a wearer,

(b) and a pair of spaced and parallel guide bars aflixed to said lband, said guide bars 'being undercut,

(c) an article retaining clamp adjust-ably positioned about said band, and fitting at least partially within said undercut portion of said guide bars and extending above, (d) and a threaded member at least partially threaded within said clamp and extending therefrom to bear 5 against said band thereby locking said clamp in position between said band and said undercut portions of said guide bars.

4. An article retaining device for the wrist of -a wearer,

including:

(a) a semi-rigid and flexible band adapted to fit about the wrist of a wearer,

( b) and a pair of spaced and parallel guide bars afiixed to said band, said guide bars being undencu-t,

(c) an article retaining clamp 'adjustably positioned about said band, and fitting at least partially within said undercut portion of said guide bars and extending above,

(d) and a threaded member at least partially threaded within said clamp and extending therefrom to bear against said band thereby locking said clamp in position between said band and said undercut portions of said guide bars,

(e) said clamp having a spring-like portion to retain an article, said spring-like portion being afiixed to the side of said threaded member away from said band, whereby rotation of said spring-like member will rotate said threaded member thereby locking or releasing said clamp.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,034,444 8/1912 Hazen 248287 1,268,622 6/ 1918 Reynolds 224-28 2,653,402 9/1953 Bonagu'ra 63-3 2,811,778 11/1957 Snyder 248-287 FOREIGN PATENTS 808,060 7/1951 Germany.

40 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

I. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

2. AN ARTICLE RETAINING DEVICE FOR THE WRIST OF A WEARER, INCLUDING: (A) A SEMI-RIGID AND FLEXIBLE BAND ADAPTED TO FIT ABOUT THE WRIST OF A WEARER, (B) AND A PAIR OF SPACED AND PARALLEL GUIDE BARS AFFIXED TO SAID BAND, SAID GUIDE BARS BEING UNDERCUT, (C) AND A PLURALITY OF ARTICLE RETAINING CLAMPS ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED ABOUT SAID BAND, AND FITTING AT LEAST PARTIALLY WITHIN SAID UNDERCUT PORTION OF SAID GUIDE BARS AND EXTENDING ABOVE, (D) AND A THREADED MEMBER AT LEAST PARTIALLY THREADED WITHIN EACH OF SAID CLAMPS AND EXTENDING THEREFROM TO BEAR AGAINST SAID BAND THEREBY LOCKING SAID CLAMPS IN POSITION BETWEEN SAID BAND AND SAID UNDERCUT PORTIONS OF SAID GUIDE BARS, (E) EACH OF SAID CLAMPS HAVING A SPRING-LIKE PORTION TO RETAIN AN ARTICLE, SAID SPRING-LIKE PORTION BEING AFFIXED TO THE SIDE OF SAID THREADED MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID BAND, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID SPRING-LIKE MEMBER WILL ROTATE SAID THREADED MEMBE THEREBY LOCKING OR RELEASING SAID CLAMP. 